Israeli parliament (Knesset) passed a bill on Tuesday that would allow police officers to storm and search Palestinian homes and confiscate cameras without court orders.
According to the official Knesset statement, “in the vote, 60 MKs supported the bill versus 58 who opposed it, and it will be turned over to the House Committee to decide which committee will discuss the bill”.
Haaretz reported that the law’s objective was “to combat crimes in the Arab community,” explaining that the bill would allow the police “to search Arab buildings without a warrant.”
#Israeli Government Approves Bill Allowing Police to Search Homes without Warrant https://t.co/1IhXitZKl8 via @PalestineChron pic.twitter.com/c6Pggd669U
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 18, 2021
The newspaper quotes sources as saying that the law could be “exploited by police in hiding evidence.”
Human rights advocates criticized the law, warning that it could “harm the Arab society.”
In a similar context, the Knesset’s Joint List – a political alliance of Arab-majority political parties in Israel – described the law as “dangerous,” adding that it “gives the Israeli police and army full powers to storm homes without a court warrant.”
#ISRAEL 100s of #Arab Israelis demonstrated Friday in N Israel after a student was killed in a reported police shootout this week in the Arab-Israeli city of Umm Al-Fahm. They demanded action against violence & inter-community criminality in Arab-majority areas of Israel. pic.twitter.com/TsWgjBeTBG
— Children of Peace (@ChildrenofPeace) February 6, 2021
The statement pointed out that the law was being proposed “under the cover of combating violence and crime so that Arab homes’ sanctity could be violated as the police and army see fit.”
Arab community leaders in Israel accuse the police of being responsible for the spread of crime within their society, accusing them of “turning a blind eye to the residents’ complaints on the matter.”
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
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